Local author and food writer Maria Desiderata Montana has a new book being released this week about San Diego’s Italian community and its cuisine.

“San Diego Italian Food: A Culinary History of Little Italy and Beyond” (History Press; $19.99) tells the story of how a large Italian community developed in what became known as Little Italy. A first-generation Italian-American herself, Montana gives an overview of all the Italian restaurants, cafes and markets in Little Italy and elsewhere around the county.